A Brother's Promise
by BroodyCheery323
Summary: "The only promise I'm making is to get you out of here." Damon said. Stefan knew Damon would either save him or join him. Guilty/Protective/Big Brother;Damon Alternate/Extension of 2x10 scene between Damon and Stefan.


**AN:** So, this is my first Stefan and Damon story of season 2! For those of you who followed my alternate endings, extended scenes, etc one-shots from season 1, I'm sorry I haven't been writing. I haven't had the time or the inspiration, that is until 2x10! I can't believe Stefan's stuck in the tomb and after seeing the moment between him and Damon at the end, I had to write this. It's pretty much an alternate/extension of that scene.

Enjoy!

SIDE NOTE: IF YOU LOVE THE STEFAN AND DAMON BROTHERLY LOVE, CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR SOME VIDEOS ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP! username - BroodyandCheery323

I do not own Stefan and Damon or anything having to do with The Vampire Diaries!

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The front door opened, interrupting Elena's slightly cold goodnight to Damon. Damon turned his head and raised his eyebrow at Elena's very irritating little brother standing in the doorway.

Elena's eyes fell to rest on Jeremy's neck and she gasped. Stepping forward she placed a hand gently in Jeremy's neck. He flinched away from her touch.

"Jeremy, what happened?"

Jeremy didn't answer her. He avoided her worried eyes and turned to face Damon instead. He met Damon's eyes for a second before dropping his head, a flash of something in his eyes. Damon frowned.

"It's Stefan" Jeremy said quietly.

Damon's eyes hardened and he took a step closer to Elena and Jeremy. The look on Jeremy's face and the tone of his voice suggested Damon wasn't going to like whatever it was the kid had to say. Elena opened her mouth to ask Jeremy what he meant but Damon beat her to it.

"What about Stefan?" He asked carefully.

Jeremy didn't answer right away but he raised his head to look first at Elena before resting his eyes on Damon once again. There was no mistaking the emotion Damon saw in his eyes... guilt. Damon pushed pass Jeremy and into the front foyer of the house.

"Stefan!" He called. Stefan wouldn't go home. He'd be here waiting to see if Elena was okay. "Stefan!" He shouted louder, when no reply came.

"Jeremy, what's going on?" She asked softly but with a hint of worry in her voice.

Damon rolled his eyes and rounded on Jeremy. "Where the hell is my brother?" He demanded.

Jeremy sighed, "He's in the tomb."

Xx

Damon raced through the woods and down into the underground cavern before stopping abruptly at the mouth of the tomb. Habit was all that saved him from running straight into the tomb. He hadn't waited around after Jeremy's admission; he simply took off running.

"Stefan!" Damon yelled, his voice on the edge of panic.

When his younger brother didn't immediately respond, Damon made a move to enter the tomb. Screw getting trapped in there. Stefan wasn't answering, something could be wrong with him.

"Damon, stop!"

Damon breathed out a sigh of relief and his entire body appeared to relax slightly at the sound of his brother's voice.

"I don't think the both of us being trapped in here would be very productive." Stefan attempted to joke.

Damon's eyes snapped up and he glared at Stefan's careless treatment of the subject. Stefan shrugged as if to say 'what?' but his eyes told Damon something else entirely. His brother was nervous, scared even.

"Of all the idiot plans, Stefan..." Damon said, dragging out his brother's name.

Stefan nodded in agreement and stepped closer to the mouth of the tomb. "In my defence though, it wasn't exactly a plan."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "What exactly happened?"

Stefan shrugged. "Jeremy went into the tomb-"

"What do you mean he went in the tomb?" Damon asked dangerously. The guilt on Jeremy's face was starting to make more sense. If that kid was responsible for his brother being trapped...

Stefan shot him an annoyed look. "Can I finish the story before you go all protective older brother?"

Damon crossed his arms over his chest and nodded, although begrudgingly.

"Anyway, Jeremy went in and managed to get the moon stone out but Katherine caught him and fed from him before he could get out. Bonnie and I showed up and she tried to bring down the spell but she wasn't strong enough to do it. Katherine went to feed from Jeremy again and I just reacted. I ran in and pushed Jeremy out." Stefan explained quickly

Damon's eyes flashed. "I swear all snap that kid's neck... again." He growled.

Stefan shook his head. "No, you won't Damon. You won't do anything to Jeremy, he was trying to help."

"And look what happened!"

"This isn't Jeremy's fault, Damon. I ran into the tomb."

Damon turned his anger on his brother. "You're right! What the hell were you thinking? Why do you always have to play the damn martyr?"

Stefan smiled softly. Damon was worried, really worried. He always got angry when he was worried, easier than showing people that he cared. But Stefan knew him and he knew his defences against emotion.

"I'm going to be alright, Damon." He said gently.

Damon sighed and took another step toward the tomb; Stefan looked nervously down at the ground. Damon was getting to close to the entrance. Damon stared directly into Stefan's eyes.

"How? How are you going to be alright? You just said Bonnie isn't strong enough to break this." Damon said desperately.

Stefan glanced around the tomb and shrugged. "I can handle myself. But Bonnie has the moon stone. Promise me you'll work with her, try to figure out how to de-spell it."

"The only promise I'm making, is to get you out of here. Screw the rest of it."

"Damon, Elena's in danger while that stone is still around." Stefan tried.

"And you're in danger inside that tomb! Don't try and make it like her life is more important than yours."

"It is to me,"

"But not to me!" Damon shouted.

Stefan's eyes softened and he moved to place a hand on his brother's shoulder but was stopped by the invisible shield surrounding the tomb entrance. He let his hand fall back to his side. Damon clenched his eyes shut and sighed.

The two brothers lapsed into silence and Damon had a second to wonder where Katherine was. It wasn't like her to miss an opportunity to gloat. That thought made him remember that Stefan would be trapped with Katherine and without thinking he made another step toward the tomb.

"Damon," Stefan cautioned.

Damon's eyes snapped open; determination and resolution shone back at Stefan from their depths and Stefan moved to block as much of the entrance as he could with his body.

"Don't, Damon."

Damon ignored him and made to enter the tomb. Stefan's eyes widened. "Damon!" He shouted frantically, "please, don't!"

Damon ignored him again and Stefan started to panic. "If you come in here, you won't be able to get me out!" He said hurriedly.

Stefan hated saying it. He hated using guilt against his brother and placing the burden of rescuing him on his shoulders; more than that he hated the unintentional hope he was giving his brother that he actually _could_ get him out; that Stefan believed he could. But if it kept Damon out of the tomb then he would do it.

But it worked. Damon shook his head and stopped his movement toward the entrance. He looked at his brother and sighed. "I don't want to leave you in there alone."

Stefan wasn't able to answer because a third voice entered into the conversation. "Oh, he's not alone. Don't you worry; I'll take good care of him." Katherine drawled from behind Stefan.

Damon turned to Katherine and glared in hatred. "You stay away from him, you conniving little bitch."

Katherine tsked, "Temper, temper. You know, if you're so worried, you could always come in here and protect him. After all, isn't that what big brother's are _supposed_ to do."

Both Stefan and Damon heard the veiled accusation in her words; her suggestion that Damon had failed to protect his little brother.

"Don't listen to her, Damon," Stefan turned to Katherine, "and you, shut up."

Katherine shrugged. "Just pointing out what nobody else is willing to." She smirked and walked backwards into the shadows of the tomb, before disappearing completely.

Now Damon knew where Katherine had been. Close by, listening and waiting for the perfect opportunity to step in and make this already terrible situation worse.

"She's right," Damon said sadly.

Stefan turned back to him. "No, Damon, she's not. You couldn't have known this would happen."

"I should have known something would happen. You have a habit of getting yourself into situations exactly like this one."

"I'm not the only one," Stefan replied, "I seem to remember a certain older brother getting himself trapped in a burning building," Stefan teased as a way to distract Damon from his guilt.

Damon smiled. "Yeah, but you got me out of there. And I'm going to get you out of here."

Stefan breathed out a sigh of relief. They were back to determination and away from the guilt.

"But just so you know, Stefan," Damon continued, "If I can`t get you out of there, I`m coming in."

Stefan didn`t bother arguing with him. He just nodded. They would deal with that when the time came. For now, he would let Damon believe that he was actually going to let him do that.

"Stefan!"

Both brothers turned to the stairs at the sound of Elena`s voice. Damon knew it was only a matter of time, and human speed, before Elena got here. He glanced at Stefan, a question in his eyes. Stefan shook his head and backed in the tomb.

"I`ll get you out, Stefan. I promise." Damon said.

Stefan nodded and moved deeper into the tomb. He didn`t need Elena to see him trapped in here. Stefan listened to the scuffle and the heated words exchanged between Elena and Damon. He clenched his eyes shut against the tears he could hear in Elena`s voice and waited for Damon to get her to leave.

A few minutes later, he heard the sound of Elena`s footsteps at they fled the tomb. He waited to hear a second set of steps, but they never came. He made to move back to the entrance, worried that Damon had changed his mind and was going to enter but was stopped by Damon`s voice.

"I promise, little brother."

The sound of Damon`s footsteps as he left the tomb echoed in Stefan`s ears and he sighed in a mix of relief and sadness. Against all logic, he hoped that Damon could find a way to get him out. Not just for him, but for his brother as well. Because as much as Stefan wanted to believe he could stop Damon from entering the tomb, he knew he couldn`t. Damon would either save him or join him.

Stefan was really hoping for the former.

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Continue or keep as one-shot? Let me know! : )


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